


The Freedom of Falling

by yezabakkoush



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Character Study, M/M, Mental Health Issues, POV Nico di Angelo, i'm still trying to figure out what tags to use for stuff, let nico have a developed story 2k20, seriously though this is about nico as much as it's about solangelo
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-20
Updated: 2020-09-23
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:42:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,649
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24828523
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yezabakkoush/pseuds/yezabakkoush
Summary: Taking place right after the end of Blood of Olympus, Nico is still recovering from transporting the Athena Parthenos and surviving Tartarus, Nico is stuck there whether he likes it or not. Hades has taken the ambassadorship away from him for one year to give him a chance to recover and get his strength back, and his new friends aren't giving him a break when it comes to healing either. Nico has to accept himself for who he is, and find love along the way.
Relationships: Nico di Angelo/Will Solace
Comments: 2
Kudos: 80





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> i know my view on nico doesn't always adhere to canon, so if you don't like canon divergence, this probably won't be something you'll enjoy. this piece also covers a lot of more mature topics like mental illness, ptsd, homophobia, and death that people should be aware of. also please be aware that nico was raised during world war two, so there will be some talk of fascism and nazis while discussing his childhood. in no way, shape, or form do i or nico support nazism or its ideals. i'm just putting here that it is mentioned in a few scenes when nico talks about his childhood. 
> 
> trigger warnings will be posted at the beginning of each chapter so people can avoid things they might find triggering. i want everyone to feel safe and comfortable, and enjoy reading this story as much as i've enjoyed writing it!
> 
> thanks, and i hope you enjoy!

_Backing away from the problem of pain,_

_you never had a home._

_You’ve been misguided, you’re hiding in shadows_

_for so very long._

\- The Unwinding Cable Car, Anberlin

“Personally,I could do without prophecies or quests for awhile.”

Nico had never spoken truer words in his life. He stood in front of Jason, the rest of Camp Half-Blood moving on around them like they were just two stones in a river’s current. Nico was tired. He felt like he hadn’t slept in years, though really, he’d spent a fair amount of time passed out in the last couple weeks getting the Athena Parthenos back. The Athena Parthenos, which was finally upright and standing in all its glory. It didn’t seem all that regal to Nico, and part of him wondered if it was really worth all the trouble he’d gone to— it wasn’t even a _pretty_ statue, and looked nothing like Athena herself, in his professional “I saw her twice” opinion— to bring it back. But it didn’t matter now. Nico scuffed his boot on the ground. 

“You’ve got a point,” Jason agreed. There was something else he wanted to say, and Nico wished he’d just spit it out already so he could go take a nap. “Look, Nico, the reason I wanted to talk to you… I know what you said back at Auster’s palace. I know you already turned down a place at Camp Jupiter.” Nico held back a sigh. Jason was his friend, but if he asked him to reconsider… well, Nico knew what his answer would be, and he knew that Jason wouldn’t like it. He wasn’t a son of Pluto; he was a son of Hades, and while the difference didn’t seem to matter to most— what’s one death god to another, after all?— it mattered to Nico. “I— I probably can’t change your mind about leaving Camp Half-Blood,but I have to—”

“I’m staying.”

Nico wasn’t sure who was more surprised by the statement— himself, or Jason. Jason blinked. “What?”

He could say he was joking and back out now, but Nico buckled down instead. “At Camp Half-Blood,” he said. “The Hades cabin needs a head counselor. Have you seen the decor? It’s disgusting. I’ll have to remodel.” That idea was admittedly appealing to him. “And someone needs to do the burial rites properly, since demigods insist on dying heroically.”At least here, he could possibly have a better chance of reducing that number. 

“That’s— that’s fantastic! Dude!” Jason went in to hug him, and Nico immediately cringed in anticipation. Why did everyone have to insist on hugging? Handshakes were perfectly acceptable, though he didn’t like those either. But Jason looked so disappointed. “Right,” he said, sounding even more down than he looked. “No touching. Sorry.”

He could give him this one thing. Nico sighed. “I suppose we can make an exception.” _ONE exception,_ he was going to clarify, but then Jason was crushing him and he could barely focus on breathing. He wheezed. 

“Oh man, wait until I tell Piper.” Jason finally let him go. “Hey, since I’m all alone in my cabin too, you and I can share a table at the dining hall. We can team up for capture the flag and sing-along contests and—”

Nico couldn’t stand listening to the list get worse and worse. “Are you _trying_ to scare me away?” he asked. Jason looked apologetic. 

“Sorry. Sorry. Whatever you say, Nico. I’m just glad.” Nico didn’t think Jason could be lying about that. There was nothing but truth and excitement in his gaze, and Nico reluctantly managed to half smile back at him. Jason had a smile brighter than Apollo’s chariot, and it was just about impossible to resist the urge to smile when he looked at it. 

His gaze wandered towards Apollo’s cabin, practically on cue. Will Solace was standing by the door, looking over at him. How long had he been staring? Nico wasn’t sure. Will didn’t look happy, and Nico felt dread settle in over him when Will pointed to the ground. _You. Here. Now._

Nico braced himself for the riot act. “Jason, would you excuse me?” He didn’t wait for a response, just walked over to the Apollo cabin and tried to prepare himself for whatever lecture he was going to get, or scathing words Will was going to say. He stopped when he reached Will, raising his brows slightly and resisting the urge to say _you summoned me?_

“So where were you?” The annoyance in Will’s tone caught him off-guard, and Nico stopped. He blinked. 

“What do you mean?”

“I’ve been stuck in the infirmary for, like, two days.” Nico kept looking at Will uncomprehendingly. “You don’t come by. You don’t offer to help.”

“I— what?” Nico looked at him like he was insane. Maybe he was. He had to be to think— “Why would you want a son of Hades in the same room with people you’re trying to heal? Why would _anyone_ want that?”

“You can’t help out a friend?” Will demanded. “Maybe cut bandages? Bring me a soda or a snack? Orjust a simple _How’s it going, Will?_ ” The only thing more jarring than what Will was saying was the way Will imitated his voice. Nico flushed. Is that what Will thought he sounded like? Worse yet— was that _actually_ what he sounded like? “You don’t think I could stand to see a friendly face?”

“What… _my_ face?” Nico would’ve believed a punch to the face more than that. _Friendly face. Nico di Angelo._

Yeah, Will was crazy. 

“You’re so dense.” Nico opened his mouth to object, but Will didn’t give him a chance to. “I hope you got over that nonsense about leaving Camp Half-Blood.”

“I— yeah,” Nico said. “I did. I mean, I’m staying.” He didn’t understand the desperate hope that had settled in his gut as he said the words and waited for Will’s reaction.

“Good,” Will said. Nico felt an odd surge of disappointment at Will’s dismissive tone. “So you may be dense, but you’re not an idiot.”

Nico’s brows furrowed. Maybe he _would_ leave, purely to spite Will. “How can you even talk to me like that?” he demanded. “Don’t you know I can summon zombies and skeletons and—”

“Right now you couldn’t summon a wishbone without melting into a puddle of darkness, di Angelo.” Nico scowled; he couldn’t argue that. No matter how much he wanted to, or wanted to summon up a pile of bones to kick Will in the shins while he childishly went, _who’s melting into a puddle of darkness now?_ The answer would be him, would still be him, no matter how hard he tried. “I told you, no more Underworld-y stuff, doctor’s orders. You owe me at least three days of rest in the infirmary. Starting _now._ ”

Nico was sure his face was Ares’ motorcycle shades of red. “Three days?” His stomach felt like it was full of butterflies— a phrase he’d always found idiotic, but in this moment, apt. “I— I suppose that would be okay.”

“Good.”

Nico smiled, and for a second, everything was perfect. Will’s gaze had lost some of its severity and softened. He looked his age when he looked at him like that, and Nico felt like he was his age for the first time in a long while. His shoulders relaxed, his head tilted to the side slightly. Will was right— this was good. 

And then Percy whooped louder than a car alarm, and the moment shattered. Nico pursed his lips, looked at Will, and held back a sigh. “I’ll be right back,” he said. “Promise on the Styx and everything.” His mouth twitched upwards slightly, the promise true but also teasing, before he turned away and walked across the green to Percy and Annabeth. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> trigger warnings : death, injury

_I knew I was wrong to_

_jump straight into the picture so pretty._

_But he is so pretty to me._

\- Your Song, Kate Walsh

It had been one day, and Nico was already bored out of his mind. He sighed heavily, resting his feet up against the wall of the infirmary. He’d been told not to do that, to keep his feet on the floor or in the bed, but it was more comfortable, laying down with his feet up on the wall, so he stayed where he was and tried to doze off in the afternoon sun coming in through the window. 

“What are you doing?” Will’s voice had him jumping so severely that he nearly kicked himself off the bed. He swore, yanking his legs down to his chest before glaring up at Will. Will looked back at him calmly. “What are you doing?”

“Nothing.” He looked at himself, sitting like a turned over beetle on the bed. “Hanging out.”

“I thought we talked about not putting your feet on the wall.”

Nico sighed dramatically. “I don’t remember that conversation at all.”

“It was yesterday, Nico.”

“Yeah, well, my memory sucks.” It wasn’t untrue. Things had become muddled in his memory, and he wasn’t entirely sure when things had happened, or even if they _had_ happened. Conversations, memories, snide comments about putting his feet up on the wall. He never knew anymore unless he asked, and he never asked. He sat up and looked at Will. “What?”

Will held out a cup. “Nectar time.”

Nico sighed and took the cup. “You can stop fussing about me,” he said. “I told you I’m fine.”

“You’re not fine. You traveled across the world wearing the Athena Parthenos like a backpack.”

“So?”

“And then fought in a battle.”

“I was there, I know.”

“Di Angelo…” 

Nico sighed again. “Yes?”

Will gave him a look. “Will you just drink the nectar, please?” he said. “For me.”

Nico held his gaze for a moment before reluctantly raising the straw to his lips. It tasted like french fries dipped in a milkshake. He let his shoulders relax. Will was smiling at him when he looked up again. “Don’t look so smug.”

“I’m not smug.”

“You’re smug.”

Will put his hands up in surrender. “Just glad to see you looking a bit better,” he said. “Now, rules for your recovery.”

Nico rolled his eyes and flopped back against the headboard. “Here we go.”

Will fixed him with another stern look. “No shadow travel.”

“You said that one when I got here.”

“No using your powers until I give you a clean bill of health.”

_“What?”_

“You stay here until you’re allowed to go.”

“I agreed to three days.”

“You need time to heal,” Will told him with a look of disbelief. “You’ve taken a lot of damage. Between wildly overusing your powers and overexerting yourself in the battle, not to mention your other injuries… you should be in here way longer than three days.”

Nico looked down at himself. He was thinner than usual, t-shirt hanging off of him, and pale. His olive skin looked almost grey, and was littered with bruises and cuts. He looked at his arms, bandaged from just below his elbows up to his shoulders. Lycaon’s claws had damaged his arms greatly, but Reyna’s healing had done enough to help make it manageable. Still, now that the fighting was over, he needed to heal. And Will was right— it’d be a long process. He brought his straw back up to his mouth and sipped quietly at the nectar, choosing not to argue with Will. 

Will took the victory quietly and sat down next to the bed, putting his medical kit down next to Nico’s feet. “Arm, please,” he said. Nico held out his arm, trying not to sulk as Will unwrapped his arm carefully. “Ouch.”

Nico didn’t bother to look at the injuries Will was referring to. “Yeah, I know.” He looked down at his feet, wiggling his toes. Will started carefully cleaning up the slashes on Nico’s arms. He let the silence stretch as long as he could before he glanced up at Will. He looked so focused, brows furrowed and blue eyes fixated on his work. Nico looked at the little crease between Will’s brows, the curve of his jaw, the way his fair hair fell into his face slightly. A small sigh escaped him.

Will glanced up at him. “Did I hurt you?” he asked. Nico shook his head quickly. 

“No,” he said. “I was just thinking.”

Will turned back to his work. “Thinking about what?”

“Why do you wanna’ know?”

Will raised his eyebrows. “I’m just trying to make conversation,” he said. Nico pursed his lips. He felt bad. Will was making such an effort, and he was just… well, being himself. He chewed on his lower lip in silence for a moment. 

“I dunno’. The future, I guess. All the stuff I gotta’ do when I get out of here… clear up my cabin. It’s… horrific in there. Looks like a haunted house.”

Will smiled a bit. “I thought that fit your whole aesthetic, Death Boy,” he said teasingly. Nico tensed up at the nickname. 

“Don’t call me that,” he said. Will paused as he looked up at him. He cleared his throat, suddenly feeling awkward again. “It’s just ugly in there. The beds look like coffins, it’s… clearly been designed by someone that’s got no clue what my dad represents.”

“I mean, he represents death,” Will pointed out. “Coffins aren’t a great decorative choice, but…”

“He doesn’t represent death.” Will raised an eyebrow at him. Nico sighed. “I mean he _does_ , but it’s more complicated than that. Is your dad _just_ the sun chariot dude?”

“No.”

“Exactly.” Nico chewed on his lower lip again. Will looked so calm, seemed so unbothered by his presence… It didn’t seem possible. “You really don’t hate me?”

“ _Gods_ , Nico.” Will put the bandages he’d been about to wrap around Nico’s arm down as he looked at him. “I don’t hate you. Okay? I promise on the Styx that I don’t hate you.” Nico squinted at him. Swearing on the Styx was no small gesture. He didn’t understand. He wanted to, he was trying to, but he didn’t. He held back a sigh. 

“Okay,” he said instead. “I just wanted to be sure, I guess. After… everything.” His mind wandered back to Octavian. He’d let him die. No matter what anyone said, Nico was responsible for Octavian’s death. He’d felt it, felt Octavian’s spirit depart for the Underworld. He was being judged, the scales of justice were balancing out. Crimes being weighed against virtues, order restored again. He tried not to think about it too much. He scratched the back of his head. “I’m sorry for avoiding you.”

Will shook his head. “I was worried about you,” he said honestly. “I wanna’ spend more time with you. And I wanna’ make sure you’re okay. I can’t do that if you’re avoiding me.” He finished wrapping Nico’s arm and moved around to his other side. “Arm.” Nico held out his arm obediently. 

“Thanks,” Nico said after a long pause. “For making sure I’m okay. It’s… nice. I guess.”

Will smiled at him, and Nico swore it was brighter than the sun when he did. “Someone’s gotta’ keep you from accidentally murdering yourself,” he said. “You’ve got a bit of a death wish, you know that?”

Nico’s smile was thin. “I’ve been told something along those lines.” Hades had phrased it differently, but the message was ultimately the same in Nico’s opinion. “I trust myself and my powers. What other people think I’m capable of is irrelevant.”

Will chuckled. “ _Wow_.” He dabbed at one of Nico’s cuts with some gauze. Nico’s brows furrowed, but his small smile remained. 

“What?” Will kept smiling, shaking his head with amusement. “What?”

“You are _exactly_ what I thought you’d be like.” Nico squinted at him. “When I saw you fighting before, I just thought ‘wow, this guy thinks he’s invincible.’ I was totally right too.”

“I’ve been using my powers for a long time,” Nico began, but Will shook his head again. 

“No, I mean before,” he said. Nico frowned. “During the Second Titan War. Watching you fight then, it was…”

“You saw me fight?”

Will nodded. “You’re hard to miss,” he said. “It was intense, but in a badass kinda’ way. I tried to talk to you after the battle, but you kinda’ vanished before I could. I looked for you, but Percy said you’d left.”

Nico blinked. “You did?” Nico had vanished from Camp Half-Blood before, and no one had looked for him. Minos had found him scared and alone in the labyrinth, turned him into what he was now. The thought that someone had actually looked for him was one he couldn’t quite comprehend, especially when Will was a stranger. Why look for him? He was too scared to ask. 

Will nodded. “I did,” he said. “Did the same thing in Manhattan. You’re very hard to pin down. Bunch of people here thought you were a ghost.”

Nico snorted. “Good.” Will looked up at him with a confused smile. Nico shrugged. “Keeps an air of mystery about me.” Will laughed again, and Nico smiled cautiously. Will was _laughing_. Will thought he was _funny_. Both things were miracles on their own, but together, it was like magic. 

“I like you, di Angelo,” Will told him. “I’m glad you decided to stick around.”

“Yeah.” Will turned back to his work, but Nico’s gaze was still fixed on him. “Me too.” He was disappointed when Will finished up bandaging his arms again, and even more disappointed when he stood to leave. 

“Promise me you’ll stay here,” he said. 

“I promise.” Nico knew he’d stay true to his word. Will seemed less certain, but he nodded anyway. 

“I’m gonna’ go toss these dirty bandages out and then I’ll grab you some food. Anything in particular you want?”

“I’d love some french fries, if they’ve got them.”

“One order of french fries, coming up.” He smiled at Nico, and Nico smiled back at him. “Get some rest. I’ll be back in a little while.” He turned away, and Nico watched him walk across the infirmary, disposing of the bandages and washing his hands before he headed out the door. Nico kept watching the door long after Will was gone before finally dropping his gaze, a smile still on his lips. 

Maybe he could be happy here after all. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> trigger warnings : anxiety

_The ground is shaking underneath, now that you’re here._

_A body’s skipping beats when you appear._

_The world is on fire, since you’ve come here._

_What if every desire is here with me?_

\- Take Me ( As You Found Me ), Anberlin

Nico had thought he would be excited when the three days were up, but he hit the end of his time in the infirmary and felt weirdly disappointed. It wasn’t that he enjoyed being in the infirmary— he hatedit— but Will was there, and he found that he enjoyed having someone dote on him, even if it was in a strictly professional context. 

“You don’t have to leave, youknow,” Will said. “The three days thing was a minimum time suggestion. In my professional medical opinion—”

“You’re sixteen and have no medical degree.”

Will gave him a look, and Nico fell silent with a small smile on his lips. “In my professional medical opinion,” herepeated. “You should hang out for another couple of days.”

Nico shook his head. “I really just wanna’ get settled in,” he said. “I’ve gotta’ sort out the Hades Cabin and stuff…”

Nico swore Will looked disappointed. “Right. Well, just don’t overdo it, okay? And no using your powers. If you need help moving stuff around in there—”

“Come and ask you?” Nico guessed. Will snorted. 

“Hell no,” he said. “Ask the Hephaestus kids, they’re all freakishly strong.”

Nico flushed. “Right. Yeah, totally.” He cleared his throat, shuffling awkwardly. “Well, bye.”

Will chuckled. “I’ll see you later, di Angelo.”

Nico left the infirmary with uncertainty, second-guessing his decision to walk out the moment he did. The afternoon was warm and pleasant, and Nico considered just sitting out in the sun for a bit before he shoved that thought from his mind. No, he had work to do, other things to focus on. He cut across camp and through the circle of cabins until he saw his, which bore a freakish resemblance to a haunted house in an incredibly unflattering way. He sighed, rolling his eyes before hopping up the steps to the front door and walking inside. 

The interior was worse than he remembered. Nico grimaced as he looked at the row of coffin-shaped beds jammed against one wall. The entire space was painted black, and while he might’ve thought once that it matched his aesthetic perfectly, he discovered quickly that he wasn’t a fan anymore. 

He spent the next hour shifting things around the room. His body ached from the physical exertion, but he was glad to have something to work on, some project that was just his. He found a notebook and pen in one of the nightstands, and started writing up a list of things he wanted or needed before he sat back in his new bed. 

Sleeping in a coffin-shaped bed felt exactly like it sounded. Nico stared up at the ceiling, trying to force himself to sleep, but couldn’t manage it. He finally gave up and started walking around the room before sighing, grabbing his notebook, and heading back outside. Some of the stuff he figured he could find laying around, and the rest he’d figure out.

“Nico, hey!” Nico grimaced when he heard someone say his name, and turned to see Lou Ellen excitedly waving at him. He awkwardly waved back, and hoped that would be it. He wasn’t that lucky. She came running over to him, her hair swinging wildly in its ponytail behind her. “You’re out of the infirmary!”

“Uh, yeah.” Nico didn’t know what to say. “I left earlier.”

“That’s great! How are you feeling?”

_Like I want to leave this conversation._ “Better,” he said. “I’m actually kinda’ busy, I gotta’ find some stuff for my cabin…”

“Do you want help?” Nico tried not to look as unenthusiastic at the offer as he felt. Lou Ellen was nice, and he knew that she was trying to make him feel welcome. _Respira, Nico,_ he told himself. “I’ve got some time before dinner, if you want a hand.”

“Uh, sure.” Nico held out his list to her, shifting uncomfortably as she read through it. “If you can’t find stuff, I can just look on my own—”

“No no, this is totally manageable.” Lou Ellen smiled at Nico and started walking. “Come on. The Big House has a ton of stuff in the back. Cecil and I have snuck in there a few times. It gets boring here after summer’s over.”

“Oh.” Nico didn’t know what to say. Lou Ellen kept telling him things about camp, and he just let her talk, occasionally nodding or making some sort of noise of acknowledgement when she paused. She reminded him a bit of Bianca, or who Bianca had used to be, when the world hadn’t been resting on her shoulders and straining her relationship with him. He tried not to fixate on it too much as Lou Ellen led him up the steps to the porch of the Big House. 

“Whatever we can’t find here, we can make up a list and someone can grab them,” she said. “Rachel’s good at that, since she comes and goes a lot easier than the rest of us. Or furniture things, the Hephaestus Cabin can probably help you with if you ask. I know Nyssa, she’s really nice. And Harley is the cutest thing in the world. Have you met them?”

“I don’t know.” Lou Ellen led him through the Big House and bounced down the stairs to what Nico assumed was the basement. She turned on an ominously flickering light and gestured grandly. 

“Welcome to the void,” she said. Nico looked around at the chaotic mess in front of them with concern. 

“It looks like a hoarder’s wet dream.”

Lou Ellen laughed. “You’re funny.” Nico looked at her like she was insane, but she was smiling happily at him. He sighed and looked back at the void. “Okay, I guess we just start digging.”

Nico wasn’t sure how long they actually spent digging around before he heard the stairs creaking. He peered over a pile of old books and saw Will’s familiar pale hair, and right after him, Cecil Markowitz all but doubling himself over so he didn’t hit the doorframe on his way down the stairs. 

“Knock knock,” Will said. “I heard there was a scavenger hunt going on.”

“Hey, you two!” Lou Ellen’s head popped up from behind a large, dusty armchair. “Thanks for coming. We’ve got that pile of stuff there—” She pointed. “And then we’re trying to get the last of the stuff off of Nico’s list before we haul it back to his cabin.”

“Where _is_ Nico?” Cecil said as Will picked up the notebook and scanned it over. Nico ducked his head down without thought to avoid meeting Cecil’s gaze. “He’s been lost to the void.”

“Hey, di Angelo!” Will looked around. “I’ve got a record player I can lend you. You gotta’ materialize, though.” Nico reluctantly stepped out from behind the pile of books. Will’s face lit up with a smile. “There you are. How are you feeling?”

“Fine.”

“Fine.” Will scoffed quietly and shook his head. “I told you to rest, you know. This isn’t resting.”

“I can’t sleep,” Nico said. Will’s smile faded immediately into a look of concern. Nico flushed. “It’s super creepy in there. It’s awful.”

“Ah ha!” Cecil triumphantly held up a bag of what looked like plastic stars. “Nico, you’re gonna’ love these. They glow in the dark, so if you put them up on your ceiling, it’ll look like the night sky.”

Nico tried not to look as confused and intrigued as he felt. “Throw them on the pile,” he said. “I’ll at least check them out.” Will and Cecil both looked pleased, and Cecil tossed the stars onto the pile of things Nico was taking with him. 

With the four of them, it only took one trip to get everything back to Hades’ Cabin. Nico dropped his box of things onto the floor and waited as the others brought their boxes in. Cecil whistled as he looked around. “Whoa,” he said. “You weren’t kidding. This place looks exactly like a haunted house, but like… for slumber parties.”

“No wonder you couldn’t sleep.” Will kicked one of the beds. “Who designed this?”

“No idea,” Nico said. “But I’m not a fan of their work.” He sighed. “Okay, well, thanks for your help. I’m gonna’ move stuff around in here now, so…” He was hoping they’d take the hint and leave quietly. When they didn’t, he sighed again. “I’m fine now.”

“It’s dinnertime,” Lou Ellen said, like that answered everything. Nico looked at her blankly. “Do you wanna’ come with us?”

Nico thought about sitting alone in the cafeteria, a solitary figure at the Hades’ Cabin table. He shook his head. “I’m not hungry,” he said. He felt Will’s disapproving gaze on him. “I’ll eat later. Right now, I just wanna’ get this done.”

“If you’re sure…” Cecil seemed to pick up on his eagerness to have them gone. “Let us know if you need more help, though.”

“Yeah, definitely!” Lou Ellen smiled at him again. “See you tomorrow?”

“I guess.”

Cecil and Lou Ellen both headed for the door, but Will hadn’t moved at all. Nico held back a sigh. “What?”

“This is too much physical exercise for you,” Will said sternly. “You’re supposed to be resting.”

“How am I supposed to rest in here? It’s like a nightmare house.” Nico shook his head. “I’m fine. I just wanna’ work. Can I have that record player when you get a chance?”

“I’ll bring it by after dinner.” Will paused. “Do you want me to bring you some food later?”

Nico smiled a fraction. “You sure?”

Will nodded. “Gotta’ make sure you don’t turn into a skeleton,” he said. “Even if you would match the decor.” He smiled as Nico snorted with laughter. Nico hastily looked away so he wouldn’t keep laughing. “I’ll be back in an hour. Okay?”

“Okay.” Nico watched Will leave before he looked at the boxes on the floor. None of it was ideal, but Nico knew he could make it work. He pulled out the plastic stars and placed them on his nightstand to hang up later before he pushed up his sleeves and got to work.

&&&

Nico hadn’t really expected Will to come back, and had forgotten he was going to completely until he heard someone knock on the door. “It’s open!” he called, unwilling to pull himself from his task of trying to push the last coffin bed to the corner of the room. Will came in, holding a bowl of something that he’d covered with a paper plate. “Oh, hey. Uh, you can put that down on the—” He gestured to the nightstand, the word for it slipping his mind. He shook his head and turned back to trying to shove the bed a few more feet. “Hang on.”

He jumped when Will’s hand latched onto his wrist. He looked up at him and tugged himself free of his grasp. “Don’t do that.”

“Di Angelo, you are overdoing it,” Will said. Nico frowned at him, at the look in his eyes. Will was _angry_ at him. He took a half step backwards. 

“I’m fine,” he said. Will pointed accusingly at his hands, and Nico looked down.

“You’re literally shaking right now,” Will said. “You’re doing too much. Go sit down, I’ll finish moving this.”

Nico rubbed his hands together, feeling a wave of agitation rush through him. “I don’t need you to mommy me,” he said. But Will’s glare was enough to make him reluctantly stand down; he walked over to the nightstand and grabbed the bowl, uncovering it and picking up the spoon with it. It was some kind of noodle dish that he didn’t recognize; he started eating so Will wouldn’t lecture him on that too, and watched him move the bed to the corner. Will looked back at him.

“What else needs to be moved?”

“I guess the desk in the corner needs to be moved to the other wall, if you’re so determined to rearrange shit in here.” He took a few more bites of the noodles and watched Will go over to the desk he’d indicated and start dragging it across the room. 

“So how long has that been going on?” Nico frowned at the question. Will nodded at him. “The hand tremors.”

“Oh.” Nico looked at his hands. They were still shaking, but not as much as they had been before. “I don’t know, like half an hour, maybe.”

“Do you get them a lot?”

Nico shook his head. “No,” he said. “This is new. They didn’t do this before…” _Before Tartarus_ , he thinks, but he doesn’t want to talk about Tartarus with Will. “I don’t know, a few months ago.”

“Hm.” Will kept pushing the desk. Nico could tell he wanted to say more, but he didn’t give him the chance. He gestured to the yellow box sitting by the hallway. “Is that yours?”

“Yeah, it’s the record player you asked for.” Will walked over and picked it up off the floor, bringing it over to the desk and setting it down. “I know the color doesn’t match your aesthetic here, butit works, so until you get one of your own…” He walked back to the door and picked up his bag. “I brought some records too. Few things I thought you’d be into.”

“Oh.” Nico watched Will pull a record out of his bag, spinning it before placing it on the record player. “What’s this one?”

“Pink Floyd,” Will told him. One of the songs started to play, and Will bobbed his head as he listened, a wide smile on his face. “What kind of music do you usually listen to?”

Nico shook his head. “Oh, uh. I mean, mostly stuff from the thirties and forties. I haven’t listened to much music since I’ve been… here, or whatever. So I guess my music tastes are kinda’ outdated.”

“We’ll just have to catch you up, then.” Will smiled and swayed to the music. “I love this song.” He started humming along with the tune, and Nico hid a smile. “Oh like you could sing it better, shut up.”

“I didn’t say anything!” Nico kept smiling, and put his bowl down before standing again. He moved across the room and resumed shuffling things around. Will did the same, still humming, and they moved boxes and furniture around with just the music in the background. 

It was late when Will finally had to leave. “I’ll swing by again tomorrow if you need more help moving stuff around,” he said. “Cecil and Lou also said they’d help out, if you need it. Okay?”

“Okay.” Nico watched Will pick up his bag, hesitating before he spoke again. “Hey, uh, Will?” Will raised an eyebrow at him. “Could you bring more music tomorrow? I liked the Pink Floyd.”

Will smiled. “Yeah, I can do that.” He bumped Nico’s shoulder. “Night, di Angelo. Enjoy your slightly less haunted house.”

Nico snorted. “Get out.” He watched Will leave, smile still on his face even after the door had shut behind him. He looked around at the disaster that was his cabin. “Well it’s something,” he mumbled, nodding his head. “It’s a start.”


	4. Chapter 4

_Did they get you to trade your heroes for ghosts?_

_Hot ashes for trees? Hot air for a cool breeze?_

_Cold comfort for change?_

_Did you exchange a walk on part_ _in the war_

_for a leading role in a cage?_

\- Wish You Were Here, Pink Floyd

It was simple to fall into a routine after a little while.

Nico existed outside the normal activities of camp, not really participating in anything and not really getting involved with any of the other campers. Chiron didn’t really push him to do anything, and as long as he didn’t bother anyone, no one else disrupted his exploration of the camp either. Most of his days were spent wandering around, expanding his knowledge of the camp’s layout, and quietly eating meals by himself at his table. 

Best parts of his day were the times he spent with Will. Nico jammed his hands in his pockets and walked down the hill to the infirmary pausing at the doorway and leaning against it as he looked inside. Will was putting together medical kits, or something that Nico honestly wasn’t sure what it was. Will was humming to himself, some song that Nico didn’t recognize, though that wasn’t a surprise. His music knowledge was better now that Will was letting him borrow music regularly, but he still couldn’t identify much. 

He was still watching Will with a small, lazy smile on his face when Will turned around, and jumped so severely that Nico thought for a horrifying moment that he was having a seizure. 

“We _talked_ about this!” Will exclaimed. “None of this appearing out of nowhere stuff!” Nico snickered and pushed himself off of the doorframe so he could come inside. “How long have you been standing there?”

Nico shrugged. “Dunno’.” He nodded at the pile of medical supplies in front of Will. “What are you doing?”

Will looked down at the table. “Inventory,” he said. “I try to do it every month or so, but after everything… well, it felt like it should be done sooner.” He brushed his hand through his hair. Nico’s head tilted to the side slightly as he watched him. His hair looked so soft, he wondered what it’d feel like to comb his fingers through Will’s hair like that. Will snapped his fingers in front of Nico’s face. 

“What?” Nico said. Will’s brows were raised with slight concern. 

“I asked how you were feeling,” he said. “You were supposed to stop by earlier so I could check up on you.”

Nico sighed. “I’m fine,” he said. “Stop fussing, it’s weird.”

Will sighed. “Di Angelo—” Nico’s heart did a somersault in his chest just listening to Will say his name. “I’m a doctor, you should be listening to me.”

“Again, you’re sixteen and have no medical degree.”

“Again, I’m a _doctor_.”

“Sure, whatever.” Will rolled his eyes, but he was smiling at Nico, and Nico’s lips turned upwards in a small smile. This was worth staying for, right? He could make friends. He could become friends with Will, and maybe—

He was getting too far ahead of himself. He looked down at the table. “Is it just you doing this?”

Will nodded. “Unless you’re volunteering to help,” he said, brows raised. Nico looked up at him. 

“No, I’m definitely not,” he said. “Thanks, though.” He sat on the table instead, swinging his feet. Will sighed and resumed his work while Nico watched. It was quiet, and pleasant, and Nico thought maybe he could get used to something like this. 

“So,” Will said. “It’s almost the end of the summer.” There was some weight behind his words that Nico didn’t understand. “You’re really staying?”

Nico nodded his head. “Yeah,” he said. “I am.” He swore Will was smiling. “Are you?”

Will nodded. “Yeah, I’m here year-round,” he told him, carefully setting aside a pile of wrapped gauze. “It’s just easier. I go home for the holidays and stuff, but otherwise I stay here. It’s safer for my mom that way.”

“Oh.” Nico let the silence stretch for a bit. “What’s your mom like?”

“She’s great.” Will’s smile widened. “She’s funny, and smart. Weird as all get out, but in a fun way. She’s a music teacher. I guess that’s why my dad fell for her in the first place.” He fell silent for a moment, and Nico thought he was done talking before Will shrugged. “Anyway, she’s still up in Ohio. I write to her and stuff, and she knows about everything, it just kinda’ sucks not being able to see her.” He sighed and started rolling up bandages. Nico watched him carefully. 

“Sorry you can’t see her more,” he said after a long pause. Will looked up at him. 

“It’s okay.” He placed the bandage to the side and started rolling up another one. “I’ve got my family here, which helps. Brothers and sisters, my friends… I’m happy here. I think you will be too.” He smiled at Nico, and Nico felt his face flush.

“Yeah,” he said, barely managing to keep himself from stammering. “Maybe.” He looked down at his shoes for a minute before he looked up at Will. “Pass me some of those bandages.”

Will’s brows went up, but it only took a second before he placed the basket between them. Nico picked out a bandage and started rolling it. 

“How would you feel about me doing some medical tests on you?” Nico looked up when Will broke the silence, frowning. “Nothing invasive, just trying to figure out how I can help you get better.”

Nico squinted at him. “Is this some sort of trick to get me to stay in the infirmary or something?”he asked dubiously. Will snorted. 

“That would be a pretty clever idea,” he said. “But no. This is what the kids call _genuine concern_. I worry about you.” Nico frowned again. “You almost melted into a puddle of goo. If you wanna’ get better enough to use your powers, you’re gonna’ need a recovery plan. And that’d be a lot easier if I knew what kind of challenges we’re up against here. And if you’re staying during the year…”

Nico sighed. “…okay. But if I wanna’ not do it, we don’t do it. Okay? I reserve the right to change my mind.”

Will’s smile was bright enough to illuminate the room. “Really? Great! I’ll start doing some research too once we’ve filled out a medical history—”

“Is this you trying to talk me out of doing this?” Nico asked. “Because it’s working.”

“Sorry.” Will’s smile turned apologetic. “I’m just excited. We could learn a lot from this, you and I. And it could really help out with your powers and your health in general, honestly. No offense, but you could probably use some more aggressive medical attention.”

“You could just say you wanna’ be my friend.” Nico was joking, and he felt a tug of guilt in his stomach when he looked over and saw Will frowning at him. He paused. “What?”

“I thought we were friends.” Nico felt a jolt in his chest. “Do you think we’re friends?”

He thought about it. He couldn’t really think about the last proper friend he’d had. There was Jason, and Reyna, but they were different. They were like family more than anything else. Will was just a friend, just someone that was invested in him for no reason other than he felt like it. “I guess so, yeah,” he said. He kept rolling bandages. “I don’t know all that much about you.”

“Well that’s something we can easily fix,” Will told him. “Ah, how about this.” His expression lit up again. “Every medical brainstorm session we have, I’ll tell you one big fact about me. You can do the same if you want, but you get one from me every session. Fair?”

Nico perked up at the idea. “Okay.” He said it perhaps a little too quickly, but he was curious. He wanted to know more about Will, wanted to know whatever the other boy was willing to tell him. His smile turned soft, and he tried to focus on their task. His eyes kept wandering, though, kept straying to look over at Will. Desperate to know what he was thinking about as he folded bandages, and what it was exactly that had him smiling like that.

&&&

Will dropped him off in front of his cabin once they were done with inventory, and Nico climbed the steps alone. He wasn’t expecting anyone to be in Hades’ Cabin when he entered, but there was a _presence_ in the room as he crossed the threshold. Considering the only two possible residents were himself and Hazel, he wasn’t all that fussed when it came to the prospect of not having enough privacy or space. But he knew Hazel was in New Rome, so the presence of another was enough to have the shadows bending defensively around him like armor. 

“That won’t be necessary, my son.”

Nico’s brows went up with surprise as the Lord of the Dead seemed to take shape in front of him. “Father?” He wasn’t used to seeing Hades like this— outside of the Underworld, casual, on a visit that he was thinking might actually be social. The shadows dissipated around him, leaving only the natural darkness of the cabin. His hands trembled as he let them drop back to his sides. “What are you doing here?”

Other people would be more polite, more subtle. But they’d never been ones for that. There was a respect there, but he could be blunt with his words and Hades wouldn’t care.

“It’s been nearly a month and I have not heard anything from you.” The words seemed strict, but they were said gently, almost with— “I was concerned.” 

“You were?” Hades made no expression or motion to confirm or deny it. “I got… distracted. I’ll be back performing my duties tomorrow, I promise.”

“No.” Nico frowned again, but Hades didn’t drop his gaze. “I think that would be unwise.”

_Unwise._ Nico wasn’t sure what to say to that. He opened his mouth, then closed it. “Why?” He paused, dread settling over him like a blanket. “Are you taking the ambassadorship from me?”

“Not if you do not wish to give it up.” Nico felt a rush of short-lived relief. “But you will be taking some time away.”

_“What?”_ Just like that, the relief was gone. “Why? How long?”

Hades regarded him calmly, expressionless. “I warned you that traveling with the Athena Parthenos as you did would kill you,” he reminded him. A look of iciness filled Nico’s eyes. 

“So you’re punishing me for not listening to you,” Nico guessed tensely. “You’re angry I proved you wrong? It’s not _fair_ , I—”

“What you proved is that you are far stronger than I or anyone gave you credit for,” Hades said. Nico stopped, mouth snapping shut. “You are young, Nico, but more powerful than any of my children before you.” Despite his anger, Nico felt a small rush of pride at those words. “But unlike the other gods, I do not have children to spare. You are my only son, and the only one I will ever have. I want you to take some time at Camp—” Nico couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Rest. Recover. You’ve been through enough.”

“You hate Camp Half-Blood,” Nico said. He didn’t expect his voice to be as quiet as it was. “You never wanted this for us, for me…” He hadn’t trusted Zeus with their safety here, and he’d been right not to. Nico’s gut felt tight. “Father…”

“I’ll speak to you at the Winter Solstice,” Hades told him. “As always.” There was no room for discussion. Hades turned, the shadows already curling around him. But he paused, looking back at Nico. “You did well.”

Nico resisted the childlike urge to smile at the praise. “Thanks, Dad.”

Hades almost smiled, his usually downturned lips in a neutral line. “Get some rest.” He turned again, and Nico watched as his father dissolved into the shadows. Nico kept looking at the spot where he’d vanished long after.


End file.
